The Importance of Written Goals (Blog)

[Erin Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Erin Pavlina's blog:

The Importance of Written Goals

[JHL]

Good article, Erin.

I agree, there is an amazing power in writing down one's goals - which I cant adequately fathom. I think it may be that it forces one to think about what they actually want - to become conscious of it. And perhaps it is this that prompts providence to move.

Quite frankly, I think one of the hardest parts of realising goals - at least of me - is the determination of what I really want in the first place.

Its quite laughable but I actually dont have any short, medium or long term goals. Just vague conceptions in my head of things I might like. That probably explains a few things.

I am now going to write down 3 goals for this year! I'll be back.

[Gratin290]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Erin Pavlina's blog:

The Importance of Written Goals

Great article! I found myself stopping in the middle of it to write down my goals for 2007.

[Brendon Colby]

This is the third time in two days this has popped up so I wrote my 2007 goals down this morning as well! What a great reminder! I can already feel the shift in energy. Thanks Erin.

[carenkh]

Originally Posted by Brendon Colby

This is the third time in two days this has popped up

Yep - I was just talking to a friend yesterday about how adrift I'd been feeling... and I realized I hadn't even taken the time to prioritize things in my life. I had just read the first chapter of the e-book Steve mentions on the Million Dollar Experiment site, Type Z Guide to Success with Ease - A Lazy Person's Guide to Wealth and Fulfillment and what was the 2nd thing he recommends? (The first being visualizing what you want your life to look like 5 years from now) Setting goals, and writing them down. And I was looking through blog archives at Christine Kane's site, and came across her blog about goal-setting.

So - ya think I should sit down and write some goals, or what?

[christinekane]

Caren's comment appeared in my blog trackbacks, so I popped in to read Erin's blog. Great post Erin! My own experience with written goals is this: When I worked with a coach several years ago, he was meticulous (and rather demanding) when it came to written goals. I learned that my fear of writing down goals was mostly "what if I don't meet these goals? then I'll be embarrassed!" My coach made me write them anyway. So, in Feb, I had written down a goal of having 12 new songs done by August. When August came around, I had written nine songs.

I was still really happy with that because the goal itself kept me going. And I don't think I would've even gotten those nine done had I not written it down. My coach's take on it was... "If you don't reach the goal entirely, you re-write the goal. But make sure there's a deadline and a number, so that you have something concrete to reach for." (And of course, one could argue that the LoA was at work in my fear of not actually reaching the goal. I am working on this end of things now!)

[Andrew Brunelle]

Kind of in a rush, but I just finished the article and I totally agree with the principle there. I guess you could call writing down your goals the first action step to achieving them. If you just let them float around in your head, your mind, which can be ever-changing, it will not be set in stone, as you have thousands of thoughts each and every day. So, I believe writing down your goals not only set them in a visible and motor skills-friendly media, it also will allow you to constantly see them. I have a theory about writing things down. It is strange the kind of power it has. I find that if I need to remember something, writing it down, without even looking at the paper I wrote it down on, will burn the image in my brain. So, I believe seeing, writing, and thinking this will allow your goals to become at least three times more achievable. If you say your goals as well, who knows?

[dor]

Erin great blog but correction the famous study is the Yale class of 1953.....and it never happened!
If Your Goal Is Success, Don't Consult These Gurus
For years, motivational speakers have celebrated a Yale study on why people succeed. It's powerful! Compelling! Too bad it doesn't exist.

i googled it and found this published as well
Yale Study of Goals: A Self-Improvement Urban Legend about Goals
How the Yale Study of Goals Holds People Back

Urban legends are often repeated because they convey deeper truths, and there is certainly truth to the notion that goals can enhance performance. But there are far more powerful (not to mention real) studies of goals that provide more insight and more inspiration than the fictitious Yale Study of Goals. For example, the research is clear that goals only enhance performance if they are properly-set, and must be consistent with six key principles for maximum benefit. The Yale urban legend won’t help you learn those principles, or teach you how to apply them to achieve more. It’s a colorful story, but it lacks the depth or substance to be truly instructive.

[Luca]

Great post! Throught my life whenever I wanted something I was able to get it. I wanted to go to college and I did. I wanted to go to grad school and move to the East Cost and I did. I wanted to get a job in a certain field and I did. After that I wanted another job with more money and more focus on a specific area so I did. This past September I really wanted to get an apartment in a certain building which was fully occupied but somehow another apartment became available and I got it. I know how to make my dreams come true. However, right now I don't know what I really, truly want. I feel lost, as if I am no longer in touch with myself. I started practicing meditation hoping that that will help me get in touch with myself. I really miss having a goals. I am reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and one of the suggestions is to Start with the End in Mind. I thought about it but I just don't know what I would want people to remember me as....great wife and mom, great employee, great blah, blah blah just doesn't do it for me. I always thought I was meant to do something outstanding in life....when I was a teenager I dreamed of being an actress but decided to pursue a different path when I started college. In college I thought I would go back to my country eventually and make a positive contribution to its development. When I finished grad school I just wanted a job that would pay me well. I am not depressed or anything...I am a happy person generally satisfied with life. My life has not been a smooth sailing and I had to fight for everything. I know, however, that I want to do more than want I am doing right now. I just can't figure out what it is.

[Erin Pavlina]

Dor, thanks! I edited the post to get rid of mention of that study. Steve did tell me that story before he knew it was fake. And he told me this morning that it was fake. But in any case, that story did help me see the value of writing down my goals so I'm thankful for it even if it didn't really happen.

[merlynnie]

I agree with the previous posts about being unable to decide what you want. I decided to go back to school, and I got my degree. I decided I wanted to work for a particular company, and I started as a temp. I decided I wanted to be a full-time employee of this company, and I got the job, starting at an hourly rate. I decided I wanted to be promoted to a salaried employee...done. I decided on two more promotions...done. I wanted to buy a house in a certain town...done. I wanted to marry my boyfriend...done. Then...I got laid off...and my husband changed his mind about being married and three years later, I'm still stuck. I KNOW I can get what I want (keeping it is another matter ) It's getting to the point where I'm ready to pick a career out of a hat, throw a dart at a map, and get on with it...just pick SOMETHING already!!!

[Mom2boys]

When you say "written goals", does that mean hand-written goals or does it apply to typed goals as well? Or does it not even matter as long as it's spelled out on paper/screen?

J

[Erin Pavlina]

Put them on the computer or hand write them on paper. Just don't let them wander around in your head like unherded sheep.

[dor]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

Dor, thanks! I edited the post to get rid of mention of that study. Steve did tell me that story before he knew it was fake. And he told me this morning that it was fake. But in any case, that story did help me see the value of writing down my goals so I'm thankful for it even if it didn't really happen.

No problem.....this guy seems to be a pretty good source for research:

Why Goals Work: Keys to Psychology, Success, Motivation & Goals
Real research, although less dramatic and more complex than the Yale Study of Goals, clearly demonstrates the beneficial effects of goals. People with highly important goals, for example, tend to be happier and more satisfied with life than those without important goals (in fairness, it should be pointed out that they are also more anxious). Goals, when properly set, lead to enhanced performance, and can be an integral part of a strategy for success.

Psychologists agree that goals play a fundamental role in human behavior. Psychologist Alfred Adler wrote, “We cannot think, feel, will, or act without the perception of a goal.” Another prominent psychologist even went to so far as to say that a goal-less state of indifference could be described as “psychological death.”

[merlynnie]

I know I'm replying to myself, but I just figured this out...My goal, written down here, is this: To discover and write down at least one new goal.

[Luca]

hey merlynnie

i like that idea thank you. my goal is to find out what i truly, deeply and passionately want in life. I want to find my mission in life. I will attempt to find this through careful introspection, meditation as well as pursuing various new activities.

[Rosie327]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

Put them on the computer or hand write them on paper. Just don't let them wander around in your head like unherded sheep.

Someone (my therapist, actually) once told me that the act of handwriting in a journal was a better way of connecting with your subconscious. I have no scientific data to show that one way is better than the other - and personally I'd rather do it on the computer - but I wonder about the significance of holding a pen and forming the letters in ink. I'm going to try it both ways and see which goal manifests first. I'll keep you posted!

[dor]

Originally Posted by Rosie327

Someone (my therapist, actually) once told me that the act of handwriting in a journal was a better way of connecting with your subconscious. !

someone posted an article of some study here once I wish could remember where it was...maybe if i had handwritten it

i find handwriting is better for notes and initial creativity, and when it comes to drawing, computers still haven't matched the resolution, ease of use and immediacy of pencil on paper.

[dhammapal]

I found this fun website day before yesterday (see link below) where you can set goals, see how many others have the same goals (a major problem with goal-setting is when you feel like the only one), with comments and you can send cheers to others.
It was fun at first and gave immediate good results. However I have
clicked on "I give up" to some of the goals, especially those that rely on
circumstances outside my control. Although one materialized unexpectedly after I had given it up!
My entry is at:
dhammapal on 43 Things

[sameer]

first of...i loved the article. it was just so "real." thank you!

also, for the people that are unable to decide on their goals, i wanna mention the thought-process i went through that helped me. until recently, i strugged with that as well. "i don't know what i want" was the statement i often repeated. somewhere along the way i came up with a few things i wanted (perhaps some would call these values); for me these are

love and compassion
freedom and expression
inspiration and empowerment

and from these, i started to see a few things i want. of course, there are still some areas wherein i'm not sure of the "concrete" thing i want but i know i want "freedom and expression" and i'm not worried about the "concrete" goal since i know it'll appear.

am i making sense?

sameer

[ellie]

Yes I write down a lot of my goals and a lot of them have happened.

I've been very specific, with my goals even to the point of naming the place I want to work at and how much money I want to have.

I have so far been lucky to never take a job, under what I requested and have always got quite a bit more, especially with my new job which was the exact place I asked to work for.

I still haven't reached all my goals.

I've really been hanging out for the "buying the apartment" goal for a long time and it still hasn't happened yet. It's like dangling a carrot in front of me, but something always stops me from saving up.

My main goal for this year is to be able to go to europe and build my confidence up. All which I will achieve.